Seeking Jesus First Nov. 28, 2025
The first of all commandments begins with a statement about the Unity of God. The actual command is to enter into that unity with God.
“Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”” (Mark 12:29–31, NKJV)
God is of one heart, one soul, one mind and one strength. God is love. When we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, we unite with His heart, soul, mind and strength. We become one with God and with the love of God. We cannot serve two masters and be one with God. We cannot be double minded and be one with God.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24, NKJV)
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6–8, NKJV)
Think of The Trinity - Three in One. They are one because of unity. They share unity of heart, soul, mind and strength. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” (Genesis 1:26, NKJV)
Unity is most important when there are more than one person. “Many members but one body.” Do we want hands or feet acting independent of the body with a different heart or mind? Apostle Paul makes this argument in Romans Chapter 12.
Our first duty of unity is with God. We receive His heart, soul, mind and strength. Then we find others who will do the same thing and unify with them as they unify with God. “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17, NKJV) “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3, NKJV)
Now put that together with the command of Christ to love each other as He loves us. And how do we receive the mind of Christ? We unify with Him in love, and we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. God is One, and we are brought into that unity through faith, hope and love, but mostly love.